Guys and Girls
by SNN
Summary: When Derek says that they aren't friends, Casey is hellbent on proving him otherwise. Derek, however, seems resistant to her friendly advances and reacts coldly towards her. That is, until she finally confronts him about it. Dasey. Oneshot.


**A/N: **Hey guys! I used to be AngelOfMusic123, just so you know. :)

About this oneshot: the first bit of this I totally jacked from "Just Friends," and I obviously have no claim over it, so yeah. lol Erm... thing here is that I had a Dally break up (obviously, since it's a Dasey. :P), and it's kind of vague as to the circumstances, but it pretty much happened before the first line of the story. Like... that's why Derek was peeved in the beginning of the episode instead of Sally just going to hang out with Patrick.

Hope you guys like it!

* * *

"Yeah, and, Edwin – what about Michelle?" Lizzie asked across the dinner table.

"Michelle is not my friend. She's my _girl_friend," Edwin replied, earning a laugh from Derek.

"_Okay_," Derek said through his laughter.

"Edwin, Derek is wrong – _as usual,_" Casey said, glaring at Derek. "Guys and girls can be friends! I, for one, have lots of male friends."

Derek, mouth full of food, said, "Oh, yeah? Like who?"

"Um, Ralph," Casey said, grasping, "Sam..."

"Uh, they're my friends," Derek said, quirking his eyebrow at her.

"Okay, well, I have plenty of _other_ male friends," Casey said, but she could only think of one more and she knew it wouldn't fly, "like, um... um..."

"Um Um Um – _love_ that guy!" Derek said, and Edwin laughed heartily at his dig.

Casey narrowed her eyes. "Okay, fine. I have you," she said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms, a smug look on her face.

"Uh, Casey? We are _not_ friends," Derek replied, a look on his face that clearly said his stepsister was out of her mind. "I can barely stand being in the same room with you," he added, for good measure.

Casey looked affronted. "What about all those times we worked together? And what about that time when we got locked in the bathroom? We were pretty chummy then. In fact, I recall some laughter, and it wasn't the mocking kind," she countered. Derek was clearly insane.

"Momentary lapses in sanity; I can't be blamed for it." Derek took in another mouthful of food.

"Ugh," Casey scoffed. "Just admit it, Derek Venturi, we _are_ friends. And _I'm_ going to prove it to you." With that, she excused herself from the table and left everyone in her midst, Derek with a bewildered expression slapped on his face.

DxCxDxC

At school the next day, Derek decided to just stop thinking about Sally; it wasn't worth it. She had ditched him for Patrick and he needed to move on. Simple as that. So he met up with Sam and Ralph, who were talking animatedly about Ralph's recent adventure with a schizophrenic squirrel and a faulty power line.

"Dude," Sam said, greeting his best friend with a smile, "you have got to hear about this."

"Yeah, man, this squirrel was so ridiculous," Ralph added. "You should have _seen_ it after it jumped on that power line! I swear it jumped up ten feet before it fell on the ground, completely fluffed out."

Derek raised an eyebrow, ready to reply, when, out of nowhere, Casey popped up beside him and began talking. "That's terrible! Did it survive?" she asked, and ignored the look on Derek's face at her sudden approach.

Ralph seemed perfectly undisturbed by her arrival, and even perked up a little when she contributed to his story-telling. "Yeah! It kinda twitched a little, and the cable doesn't work now, but the squirrel is perfectly fine. At least, I think so," he said, his expression turning thoughtful.

"So, it got up and everything?" Casey prodded, seemingly appeased by Ralph's affirmation of the squirrel's condition.

"Of course! I think it might even have waved at me, but that could've just been some electric shock wearing off," he said, and Sam laughed. Derek, however, was too shocked at Casey's suddenly socializing with _his_ friends. While _he_ was there. What was wrong with her?

"Oh, good," Casey said, smiling. She turned to Sam. "So, Sam, how've you been?"

Sam, also slightly weirded out by Casey's random visit, hesitated and looked at Derek, who was looking at Casey with a furrowed brow and indescribable expression. "Uh... good, I guess. You?"

"I'm fine, thank you," said Casey, her smile wide. "What about you, Derek? Have you heard from Sally?"

Derek's eyes widened, and not only because now she was _speaking_ to him, but because he hadn't had a chance to tell the guys what had happened. "Uh... Casey, can I talk to you a second?" he asked, grabbing her arm. "Great, let's go over here." He pulled her away from Sam and Ralph to a nearby corner and proceeded glare at her. "_What_ are you doing?"

Casey wasn't affected by his glaring. "I'm hanging out with my _guy_ friends," she replied, speaking slowly so there would be no mistaking what she said.

"Uh, _no_, you're not. You're intruding on _my_ turf, talking to _my_ friends," he said, his eyes going wide and hands gesticulating wildly.

"Oh, Derek, you're so naïve," she said, patting him on the shoulder gently. "You guys _are_ my friends. Just admit it; you're life will be so much easier when you do." With that said, she walked away from him and continued to chat with Sam and Ralph. Derek groaned and walked off.

DxCxDxC

Later on that day at lunch, Derek finally got around to telling Sam and Ralph what had happened with Sally.

"D, that is so messed up," Sam said, feeling the normal indignation one feels when one's best friend has been wronged.

"I thought Sally was cool," Ralph added, dismayed. "Why would she do something like that?"

Derek sighed; he appreciated his friends' concern, but he really didn't want to talk about it anymore. "I don't know. I guess she just couldn't resist _Good Ol' Pat_'s charm long enough to break up with me first," Derek said, his tone bitter and angry. "Can we not talk about this anymore?" It was more a closing-of-subject more than a question. He took an almost violent bite of his sandwich, even chewing angrily.

Sam and Ralph knew when to leave something alone, and they certainly caught the finality in his tone, so they changed the subject. "So, any new songs for D-Rock?" Sam asked.

Derek shook his head. He didn't speak.

"Oo-kay," Sam breathed. He looked at Ralph, who shrugged and bit into his sandwich. Then he saw Casey approaching them and smiled, glad for the interruption. "Casey! Join us!" He waved her over.

Casey smiled and sat down beside Derek. "Hi, guys! What's up?"

Derek looked at her snarled. He was having a bad enough time already with Sally cheating, but _this_? He was going to kill someone.

"What's up with you?" Casey asked, an offended, confused look crossing her face.

"_Why_ are you _here_?" Derek's eyes closed and his voice sounded strained. This was turning out to be a really bad day.

"Um, well, in case you didn't notice, Sam, _our friend_, invited me over here," she replied, eyes going back and forth between Derek's face, eyes, and Sam.

Derek tore his eyes away from Casey and glared at Sam. "Sammy, how could you?"

"D, it's not the end of the world. Casey's cool, she's my friend," said Sam, who had watched the encounter with a knowing expression. Derek might be having a Sally problem, but that didn't mean that he couldn't crush on other girls while coping.

"Ugh," Derek groaned, "Sam, when are you going to learn that it's not cool to be friends with super keener girls like Casey?"

Before Sam could reply, Casey cut in. "Excuse me, _Derek_, but I think it's Sam's choice of who his friends should and shouldn't be. And the same goes for Ralph," she said, and looked at the boys across from her and Derek. "Right, boys?"

Ralph and Sam, who knew what the wrath of both Derek and Casey could be like, went for the lesser of two evils and nodded quickly.

"She's right, dude. Our choice," Ralph said, grinning at Casey. "By the way, have I mentioned how lovely your shoes look today?"

Casey allowed a small blush to creep up on her. "Thank you, Ralph," she said. She turned to Derek. "You see, Derek? Guys and girls can be friends. And those guys happen to be Sam, Ralph, and you, and that girl just so happens to be me." She smiled smugly, then, and began to eat her salad.

Derek grunted at her and stayed silent the rest of the lunch period.

DxCxDxC

Finally, when school was over, Derek got into The Prince and waited on Casey. Since they shared the car, he either had to wait on her to finish her daily gossip session and drive her home, or leave her and get screamed at once she got home. So he waited.

And he waited some more.

He groaned irritably. "Come _on_, Casey! What could you possibly be talking about that's so important?!"

He waited another five minutes (as he had already waited half an hour) before getting out of the car, mumbling angrily about certain step-sisters and their ability to aggravate the far out of him.

He reentered the school and went straight for her locker, where he found her chatting with Emily and Noel. "Casey!" he shouted as he approached. "I've been waiting for you for half an hour!"

Casey turned from her friends to face Derek. "Really? I'm sorry, I lost track of time," she said sincerely.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go," he stated, not even acknowledging Emily and Noel, who had waved when he first walked up.

"Fine," she said, resigned. She had made him wait long enough. "Bye, guys." She waved at her friends and left with Derek, who had a stony expression on his face. Casey huffed and looked at him expectantly. When he didn't say anything, she huffed again. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

Derek ignored her and climbed back in The Prince, buckled up, and started the car.

"Der-_ek_!" she spat, irritated. "Speak to me!"

"Casey, you kept me waiting in this hot parking lot for half an hour and the stupid air conditioner is broken and there wasn't a breeze! I _really_ don't feel like talking to you right now," he bit, pulling out of the lot and going down the road.

Casey narrowed her eyes. "So _that_'s your problem? A little heat? I had no idea you were such a baby," she said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat.

"I am _not_ a baby," Derek said, his tone defensive. His eyes kept flicking back and forth between the road and Casey. "You try sitting in the sweltering heat for half an hour and see how cheery you are afterwards."

"Oh, please. You're exaggerating. It's not _that_ hot," Casey replied, squinting a little from the wind blowing through the window. Derek's grunted in response, leaving the car in absolute silence, save for the harsh wind.

Unable to stand the almost suffocating silence, Casey turned on the radio and put it on her favorite station. Her favorite song filled the air and she turned it up, singing along. Derek's upper lip rose in disgust.

"Oh, come on, Casey. Don't make me listen to this chick music," he whined.

Casey pondered this for a moment, and realized that, despite the fact that his could fall under the category of "Listening to Derek," it would help prove that they were friends. So, begrudgingly, but at the same time managing a smile, she turned the station to something Derek would probably listen to.

Derek's eyes widened; had Casey just _listened _to him? "Why did you do that?" he asked, shock in his voice.

"Because you're my friend," was her simple reply.

Derek sighed as he pulled into the driveway. "I am _not_ your friend," he said, and got out the car, leaving a disgruntled Casey behind.

Not one to ever be shot down on the first, second, or third try, Casey followed suit and chased after him. "Derek, wait!" she exclaimed, and grabbed his arm, jerking him around to face her once she reached him. "_Why_ not?"

Derek let out some sort of exasperated noise. "Casey, can we not talk about this? Great, thanks. See ya later," he said, and tried to turn and walk away, but she held tightly onto his arm.

"No, Derek, I want to know why we can't be friends."

Derek released a long-suffering sigh and looked around; no one was around and the family hadn't arrived home yet. "Fine. You wanna know why we can't be friends? I'll tell you why: guys and girls _can't_ be friends-"

"Ugh, you are so immature, Derek," she interrupted.

"-because things like _this_ happen!" he shouted, and swooped down, his lips crashing onto hers as soon as he said it. Casey didn't move, she didn't respond; she just stood there and let him kiss her. When he pulled away, her mouth formed a small, comical "O."

Derek let out a bitter chuckle. "See? Do you see, now, why we can't be friends?"

To his surprise, Casey smiled. It was a warm, happy smile, and Derek couldn't help but want to return it. He didn't, of course, but he wanted to. "Derek," she said, "you can be really dense sometimes." And then she pulled him back down to her lips and kissed him with as much vigor as he had kissed her before. This time, though, the recipient responded eagerly.

When they pulled apart, they were breathless. They stood there for a few moments, just looking at each other, not saying a word. Then, Derek spoke.

"I am _not_ dense!"

* * *

**Hehe. :P Lemme know what you think!**


End file.
